1957 Sandblasted Coupe

[ukinusa]

But, and being the novice here - isn't that a perfect dirt /damp trap in Tom's pic ?
For the time being I am going to leave mine till after the Lit Meet in LA; and see if I can find some cars for reference ...or if anyone else has more definite pics ?

[roy mawbey]

Steve,

I looked at my 59A still with original rockers and the view is different to that shown above. I thought the same as you when I saw it but Trevor's comment stopped me saying anything really.

The area on mine is the same both sides and there are no kinks. The gutter of the rocker travels up the front fender closing panel and butts up against it. On the other side of the closing panel in the wheel well area the short remaining piece of the rocker butts up to the other side of the closing panel.

I will take a photo. I did not look to see if any drainage hole is present I doubt it. But the gutter is easy to push muck out of but I guess very few ever did that.

I will take a shot of it this week.

Roy

[tperazzo]

I think that your year should not have the flange crimped up like mine as I think it's a karmann thing. I posted to show the connection to the rocker. You are welcome to look at my car in Huntington Beach if you want while you are out here. My car has been lonely lately
Cheers,
Tom

[ukinusa]

Thanks Roy that would great - appreciated.

[ukinusa]

Ah - Karmann - that might explain it (never worked on one).
May well visit,I owe you beer or two at least ! If you are serious about a visit, PM me at brit@infowest.com with address etc but I assume as you are so close you will be at the Lit. meet/Swap meet also ?

[Trevor]

This is the best pic I have at the moment, although the outer flange as been bent the wrong way from years of driving. The cars I've looked at have the metal crimped over...however on the repair Jack and I are doing to a 1960, where we're replacing the longitudinals we are planning on NOT crimping it over so it doesn't become a dirt/mud trap.

[ukinusa]

Thanks for comments one and all on the transition issue on rocker to wheel well rim; as its not clear to me 100% yet I decided to leave it till I get more info. and move on to the rear well.

As you can see some metal "guru" plated it using the "toothpaste" approach to welding

First step was to get the plasma cutter out to roughly remove the repair.




and then use a thin cutter wheel to get back to where I hoped I could insert the repair patch. Optimistically, I thought the 3 recesses that help give strength to that panel, would align with the old recess and I could 'hide' the top weld behind the metal strip that carries the 1/4 light trim bar.

Close but not close enough, so I had to cut further back, upto the top edge/ledge, and also take out the longest recess which is closest to the door opening. My repair hole is getting bigger but the repair panel is for the whole of that section, so I have plenty.

Another reason I was hoping to leave the longest recess was that I wouldn't have to remove the inner small support plate; so that came out first ...



Then I roughly sized the repair panel and offered it in. For once I think the curves will work and it "shouldn't" be too bad to sort out.





I had to create a new bottom edge/lip, lost 80% of the original in the cutting out, but that was a nice simple diversion. The three pen marks up by the quarter window, are the center marks for the 3 recesses - so the panel all has to slide forward; I think I have allowed enough margins

[JTR70]

Here's how my rockers were attached to the splash pans:

On the right side the rocker lip was relaxed around the flange with a seam weld.

This created more contact surface which trapped grime and water and eventually rusted through the rocker skin a little.

Reproduced the way it came anyway.

The left side was done differently as splash pan was hammered in to accomadate the rocker flange.

A little button of weld was used to secure it. This is factory untouched BTW. I would recommend doing it like this as the contact points are much more airy impeding decay.

Lower flange does not get hammered tight against the longitudinal instead it slowly relaxes to about a 30 degree angle as it makes its way toward the center. Note too the little seam weld detail on the edge of the two panels. Hope these answer your questions on this area.
Nice work on the rear inner wheel house!
Justin

[ukinusa]

Awesome - that makes more sense to me now. When I have the car upside down again (easier to work that way on this section), I will attend to it and report back. As ever ... thank you !

[roy mawbey]

Steve,

Justin's photo's of the drip pan closing panel to the outer rocker are in principle exactly like my original ones. His look like the rest of his car perfect in every way. Mine are nothing special at all to look at but are not rusted through even after 57 years. So if you look at my photos I took today it makes it look like my car needs a total re-work but at least it proves the principle they used.

Pleased Justin takes good photos mine are very poor really.





I must tidy that area up someday I feel rather ashamed

Roy

[bbspdstr]

This the typical attachment in the forward closing panel/bottom of rocker on a later 356, but usually they are thinner bridges. This is on an original rocker and longitudinal and floor '63 C-2.

The earlier cars I checked were somewhat like what Justin shows, but didn't look totally original and the original earlier cars I could look at must wait for further snow melting to gain access to them.

I think it's all in how close the curve of the closing panel comes to where the rocker needs to be. I've seen small/short gap bridging on earlier 356s and I've seen tighter bending on the rocker bottom return to make room, then tacked. Back to the old "made by hand" variations.

The more that gets replaced, the more those panels will need 'fussin with.' Just know that the rocker must continue the curves of the door and adjacent panels and then it can be braced in the front (close or far enough away for a small piece of metal to be needed) and rear (by the formed angular brace from underside of threshold to upper part of outer longitudinal) on each side.

....I am remembering a thread that included the location of the bracing to the front lower inner corners of the nose to the bottom of the curved light wiring conduit/fender-nose brace. Those had no exact placement, they were just whatever/wherever was most convenient for the guy doing that detail when the body was originally built. Just do it so it "looks good."

-Bruce

[John Pierce]

Bruce,

The front bracing discussion was on Tom's thread.

John

[bbspdstr]

Thank you. After a while, it all blends and threads get intermingled. I guess I was more appropriately 'reminiscing' about a similar example of bracing as to how and where, as you say was on Tom's valuable thread.

I am now constantly amazed at how things 'we' just 'did' for many years is now microscopically analyzed for correctness and then 'we' find it was never exactly the same in many instances, after all. The guys who built the 356s just 'did them.'

Without an awareness of what's going on "over there" I can only say that Justin's site IS the continuation to Brett's book...'A Guide to Authenticity.' Funny, I am doing a 356 that was in his last iteration of the book on the 356 as an 'original example' and am finding much that isn't...including the color (easily told from a Kardex vs B&W pix).

Maybe originality means more now for many beyond the increase in value and thus, why the means and method of rocker bracing is requested and discussed. I like learning from being challenged and having to be sure past what can be an old memory of a misconception. "Trust....but verify."

-Bruce

[bbspdstr]

Please add: What I am trying to say is that just because I've been doing something for 50 years....doesn't mean I've been doing it correctly all that time.
Sharing information and getting access to original examples (which are becoming more and more scarce all the time) is a key to good work with good results. I am impressed with you guys more every time I get to check this site and learn and occasionally share.
We all owe a LOT to Justin.

-Bruce

[Trevor]

Agreed, the sharing of information is what it's all about! Here are three cars all down at Jacks that have no evidence of welding (most likely original).